Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-02-25
HERMIf JOE.
The storyof a Penlsy Ivania Farmer Lad
who sxas UisappointcI Ia Ioy..


There occasionally appears In Pitts
buIgh an old man with sad eyes aud long
white hair and beard. MhGe peculiar
gaIb and aspect always attract attention.
In answer To q question BIZ a Chronicle
Telegraph reporter a gentleman said that
the old man was Hermit Joe.
81 was up in the mountains hunting
said the gentleman, "where he leads
hermit life, and learned his history. II il
over thirty years since the romance OF his
lie began. IFS father had small farm
little this side of the mountains, and Joe
titled the soil until long after his majority.
His was the old SO y of falling in love
with young girl, whose father was what
would be called a magnate i'm that section
years ago. The girls friends would noe
listen 10 her marry ing Joe lex ause he wa3
poor, ard the engagement WIS broken of.
''JOe used to ponder over the fact that
the marriage was prevented solely because
he was poor. Bat for months he plodded
along doing the drudsery of the farm
work as though he had abandoned all
thoughts of Wedding the girl whom he
10y ed.
suddenly he mystcriously disappeared.
No one knew whi her he had gone for
months after his disappearance. One day
a party of hunters, who had known him,
discovered him living in a hut up in the
mountains, a bundled miles from his
fathers farm. He was morose and silent,
refusing to say why he had chosen the
life of a refuse, and merely telling his
former friends that he was satisfied to
live in his hut and gain meagre subsis-
lance by hunting and fishing. All efforts
TO induce him to return and give up his
strange mode Of eAis, ence were unayail.
ing, and he seemed gIatifled when his
friends turned away and left him at the
door Of his gloomy hut, gazing dIeamily
down the mountain side. His friends re-
turned home and related their meeting
with Joe. His farcical mode of living was
n subject of gossip for a couple of weeks,
and then he was again forgotten.
. "But Joe'S romance was only half be-
gum" continued the gentleman. early
one morn g in the splirg, two years after
he had left home, he suddenly reapl cared.
He was different men. He had sold d
LIT of skins lie had cured, was well dres seG,
and seemed to fairly beam with happiness.
He had several heavy packages in his
pockets, which he guaded so lcalously
that curiosity was aroused as 10 what
were Their contents. He was so inpatient
that he had not been here an hour until
he hurried off 10 the Vi lage, ar by. He
entered the only jewelTy store i'll the vii
lage ard accosted the proprietor with tho
announcement that lie had been working
for the past two years In gold mine he
had discovered, which he knew was the
richest mine in the world. 1t was cavern,
he said literally filed with bright yellow
golden nuggets Where was it? He
smiled, and said that it was in a precipi-
Gus portion Of the mountains, wheie no
other foot than his had ever trod, md
where no one else could discover it. He
would be the richest man in the State--in
the world-he eXultantly said, and then
whispered to the jewellcr that at last he
could wed the gill for whom he had
lIborcd increasingly fer two years slowing
away gold nugget.
cat last lie produced the mysterious
little heavy packages, which he said were
samples of his vast wealth. The little
group that had gathered together in the
store drew close TO Joe and gazed, awe
struck, VI on the yellow bits of m neral
The ieweilcr carefully picked up several
pieces, looked at them q couple of
moments and then said: Joe, my friend.
you are mistaken. This is not gold. These
yellow Jumps are iron pylites. They are
worthless
ssFor full minute Joe uttered not
word. He seemcd bereft of speech. Then
he mechanically raised his hand TO his
brow, as though to collect his thoughts.
Are you sure it is not gold?' he tremu-
lousy asked. Yes, was the reply. Slowly
he left the store, ard as quietly passed
along through the village. His fathers
farm was now ched, but he stopped
only to open the door Of the homestead
| and say good-by. In another hour he was
on his way back to his retreat in the noun
| tains His disapT ointment had been SO
sudden and his grief 20 intense that his
mind seemed 10 weaken under the great
strain. He did not even stop 10 see the
one he had loved ard worked so hard for,
| but seemed to feel that all was lCsUto him
| forever She, it is said, was true to him,
and died few years ago of broken
| heart JLe has ever since dwelt in his hut
in the mountains, which of lite years has
become an oil. Get of curiosity TO people
visit that section of The country. He
has grown too old to exc out Subsistancc,.
| but lives on d small income his father left
| him. His mind has become SO weakened
that he row imagincs the cave near his
Int contains great mass of wealth, but
that the world has c)nspircd to ignore him
and his :magil i've tons Of geld nuggets"